Half of oldest identical twins — at 103 — still sharp, she wants you to know

Charlotte Eisgrou holds a 1966 photograph of her and her twin sister Ann Primack, taken in Miami, Tuesday December 18, 2012, as she looks over other old photographs in her Daytona Beach condominium. Charlotte and Ann will turn 103 years old on December 24th and are believed to be the oldest set of surviving twins in the world.

News-Journal | David Tucker

RAY WEISSSTAFF WRITER

Published: Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 11:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 1:47 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — Charlotte Eisgrou glanced down at the faded photograph that rested on her lap.

The image was of a slim woman of about 20 wearing a light-colored dress. The words written on the back simply read: The Flapper Age.

"That was me," Eisgrou recalled with a smile. "My mother made that dress."

Those early chapters of life growing up in Chicago are cherished, as are the many that followed in Daytona Beach as a wife and mother. But public acknowledgement has come for a cumulative, not a single, accomplishment.

She and her sister Ann Primack in South Florida celebrate their 103rd birthday today, another milestone for the world's oldest identical twins.

"Don't put it in big letters. Put it in small letters," Eisgrou laughed.

And Eisgrou would have no trouble seeing those letters. Reading glasses, like hearing aids, are unnecessary, and her teeth are as strong as her spirit.

"I feel wonderful. I have all my faculties," she said.

Both women, however, are recovering from injuries suffered from recent falls, and will spend their big day apart.

"I have no special plans, unless they surprise me," Eisgrou said, sitting in the living room of her riverside condo. "I like to go downstairs. There's always something to do. I make it a point to get out."

Back on Dec. 24, 1909, no one could have predicted the long life that awaited the two sisters. They were born prematurely at home and weighed a combined 7 pounds. There were no incubators then, so a stove provided the proper warmth.

A doctor set a safe temperature and placed the sisters gently on the open door with pillows and blankets.

It worked.

Today, each woman will reach a monumental landmark for any family member — let alone two simultaneously.

They are ranked on websites that track longevity as the second oldest twins in the world, born 39 days after fraternal twins Edith Ritchie and Evelyn Middleton of Scotland, the Guinness World Record holders.

"I didn't know that. That's wonderful," Primack said by telephone, still recuperating from her injuries. "I can't believe it, that I've reached that age. The good thing is our minds are sharp. That's the only good thing."

Both women attributed their longevity to family history.

"It's the genes," Primack said in a 2009 News-Journal interview during a birthday visit with her sister. "Genes are the whole thing. And we were never fat."

"And it's milk," countered Eisgrou, who moved to Daytona Beach in 1949 with her husband, a pharmaceutical salesman. "We drank milk. It's milk and the genes."

Back in 1909, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years, a postage stamp cost 2 cents, explorers reached the North Pole for the first time, construction on the Titanic began and the average weekly salary was $12.98.

Their father sold sporting goods, and their mother was a seamstress, making all the girls' clothes until they were teenagers. She lived to age 88, and he died at 78. A brother died at 62.

"I don't know the secret to a long life. And I wouldn't tell you if I knew it," she said, acknowledging that "I'm more outspoken. My sister, she's the quiet one."

Both sisters are widows who had long marriages and point to their families as their greatest accomplishments. Each has one living son. Rarely does a day pass when the sisters don't talk to each other by telephone.

They still relish the practical jokes they pulled off many years ago.

"I used to visit Daytona and we'd switch husbands and walk in the temple," Primack said, recalling religious services they attended at a local synagogue. "And they'd say to me, 'Charlotte, you look so good.' "

The women acknowledge they had their disagreements from time to time, like most sisters.

"But we never let it stay with us," Primack said.

Both sisters stay as active and independent as possible.

Eisgrou started driving at age 78, and didn't stop until four years ago, when her now 71-year-old son told her "I shouldn't get a new car with all the hijackings."

Neither sister gives much thought to being the oldest identical twins in the world. They say what makes each birthday so special is still sharing the experience at 103 years and counting.

"Who would have thunk it?" Eisgrou said. "My father would have danced in the air. He'd be so happy."

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; Charlotte Eisgrou glanced down at the faded photograph that rested on her lap. </p><p>The image was of a slim woman of about 20 wearing a light-colored dress. The words written on the back simply read: The Flapper Age. </p><p>"That was me," Eisgrou recalled with a smile. "My mother made that dress." </p><p>Those early chapters of life growing up in Chicago are cherished, as are the many that followed in Daytona Beach as a wife and mother. But public acknowledgement has come for a cumulative, not a single, accomplishment. </p><p>She and her sister Ann Primack in South Florida celebrate their 103rd birthday today, another milestone for the world's oldest identical twins. </p><p>"Don't put it in big letters. Put it in small letters," Eisgrou laughed. </p><p>And Eisgrou would have no trouble seeing those letters. Reading glasses, like hearing aids, are unnecessary, and her teeth are as strong as her spirit. </p><p>"I feel wonderful. I have all my faculties," she said. </p><p>Both women, however, are recovering from injuries suffered from recent falls, and will spend their big day apart. </p><p>"I have no special plans, unless they surprise me," Eisgrou said, sitting in the living room of her riverside condo. "I like to go downstairs. There's always something to do. I make it a point to get out." </p><p>Back on Dec. 24, 1909, no one could have predicted the long life that awaited the two sisters. They were born prematurely at home and weighed a combined 7 pounds. There were no incubators then, so a stove provided the proper warmth.</p><p>A doctor set a safe temperature and placed the sisters gently on the open door with pillows and blankets. </p><p>It worked. </p><p>Today, each woman will reach a monumental landmark for any family member &mdash; let alone two simultaneously. </p><p>They are ranked on websites that track longevity as the second oldest twins in the world, born 39 days after fraternal twins Edith Ritchie and Evelyn Middleton of Scotland, the Guinness World Record holders. </p><p>"I didn't know that. That's wonderful," Primack said by telephone, still recuperating from her injuries. "I can't believe it, that I've reached that age. The good thing is our minds are sharp. That's the only good thing." </p><p>Both women attributed their longevity to family history. </p><p>"It's the genes," Primack said in a 2009 News-Journal interview during a birthday visit with her sister. "Genes are the whole thing. And we were never fat." </p><p>"And it's milk," countered Eisgrou, who moved to Daytona Beach in 1949 with her husband, a pharmaceutical salesman. "We drank milk. It's milk and the genes." </p><p>Back in 1909, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years, a postage stamp cost 2 cents, explorers reached the North Pole for the first time, construction on the Titanic began and the average weekly salary was $12.98. </p><p>Their father sold sporting goods, and their mother was a seamstress, making all the girls' clothes until they were teenagers. She lived to age 88, and he died at 78. A brother died at 62.</p><p>"I don't know the secret to a long life. And I wouldn't tell you if I knew it," she said, acknowledging that "I'm more outspoken. My sister, she's the quiet one." </p><p>Both sisters are widows who had long marriages and point to their families as their greatest accomplishments. Each has one living son. Rarely does a day pass when the sisters don't talk to each other by telephone. </p><p>They still relish the practical jokes they pulled off many years ago. </p><p>"I used to visit Daytona and we'd switch husbands and walk in the temple," Primack said, recalling religious services they attended at a local synagogue. "And they'd say to me, 'Charlotte, you look so good.' " </p><p>The women acknowledge they had their disagreements from time to time, like most sisters. </p><p>"But we never let it stay with us," Primack said. </p><p>Both sisters stay as active and independent as possible. </p><p>Eisgrou started driving at age 78, and didn't stop until four years ago, when her now 71-year-old son told her "I shouldn't get a new car with all the hijackings." </p><p>Neither sister gives much thought to being the oldest identical twins in the world. They say what makes each birthday so special is still sharing the experience at 103 years and counting. </p><p>"Who would have thunk it?" Eisgrou said. "My father would have danced in the air. He'd be so happy."</p>